"Up In The Sky The Lovers Lay In Bed" by Gary Johnson.

On May 10, 2008, Garrison Keillor read Gary Johnson's poem, "Up in the sky the lovers lay in bed..." on his radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion". It was lovely. Such a lyrical, smart, carefully constructed poem. I loved it. And I want to share it with you here. Take your time with this poem, spend a bit with each line, before moving on to the next. It's well worth the time spent.

Up in the sky the lovers lay in bed...
by Gary Johnson

Up in the sky the lovers lay in bed
Naked, face to face and hip to thigh,
Her leg between his, his arm beneath her head,
Their hands roaming freely, up in the sky.
In the dark, Manhattan lay at their feet,
A blanket of glittering stars thrown down.
Beyond her bare shoulder, 59th Street,
And from her lovely foot the buses headed uptown.
They came to the city for romance, as people do,
And with each other they scaled the heights
And now, at rest, almost one and not quite two,
They lie almost forever in the sea of lights.
Where will they go? What happens next? I don't know.
I am that man waiting at the bus stop far below.

You can find a few other fine poems by Mr. Johnson, here.